First quarter. Fourth and 2 from the 33-yard line. And the Aztecs go for it.

Not all that unusual…except for one detail.

It was their own 33.

Logically, it made little sense. Not in a scoreless game that early on. But maybe that was the point.

San Diego State wasn’t going to win this game with its brain. It was going to win it with a different organ entirely – the kind that pumped blood and proved something that was in desperate need of proving.

This team has a pulse.

The Aztecs got the first down on that play and then the whole squad converted. It went from a group that hoped victory would call its name to one that wrestled victory to the ground and put it in shackles.

In its Mountain West opener, San Diego State beat Nevada 51-44 in overtime, solidifying the scoreboard operator’s future arthritis. It wasn’t a win for the ages, but for a season that began so dreadfully, it was a coming of age.

Forget, for a second, SDSU’s gaudy statistics. Temporarily disregard the offensive execution that was in witness protection for the first four games of the season.

But what was most noteworthy – what signified that perhaps this season wasn’t just a countdown to the Mountain West finale – was how SDSU responded to opportunities and obstacles throughout the contest.

It started in the first quarter, when offensive coordinator Bob Toledo first greeted the crowd. Running back D.J. Pumphrey took the ball from Kaehler from the right side, sprinted to the left side and, 72 yards later, was in the end zone to give San Diego State a 7-0 lead.

The two squads would exchange scores throughout the first half, with Nevada (3-3, 2-1) eventually going up 17-14. Then, in a display that would earn a nod from the Oregon Ducks themselves, the Aztecs went on a sizzling scoring spree that appeared to put them in firm command.

After a safety following a bad Wolf Pack snap, SDSU got the ball back on its own 36 with 41 seconds left in the opening half. Two short passes to running back Adam Muema followed. Then came a one-handed, 26-yard catch by Ezell Ruffin. And on the final play on the drive, Kaehler threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Denso, who had cornerback Elijah Mitchell hanging on him like a groupie, and put San Diego State up 23-17.

Nine points in 32 seconds. It was impressive.

It was also nothing. Nothing compared to the two touchdowns the Aztecs would add in the third quarter to make it 22 points in less than seven minutes. But even more so – it was nothing compared to the 21-point lead SDSU would blow before the end of regulation.

One drive at a time, the Wolf Pack inched back into the game. Soft coverage from the Aztecs, missed field goals and extra points, and a suddenly non-existent SDSU offense led to the game being tied 44-44 by the fourth quarter's end.